William a



(No Model.)

` W. A. FRETWELL.

PLOW.

Patented Den. 13 1887.

Attorney plows, shovels, cultivators, 85e., which can be NTTED STATESPATENT Fries..

WILLIAM A. FRE'IWELL, OF REIDSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Lettersl Patent N'o. 374,829, datedDecember 13, 1887.

Application ilecl September 6, 1887. Serial No. 248,944. (No m'oalel.)

lTo all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAMA. FRETWELL, of Reidsville,in the county ofRockingham and State of North Oarolina,have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Blows; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference beinghadytothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form part of this specificatiominwhich- Figure 1 is arear perspective View of my improved plow-lying upon its side. Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the same, part of the plowshare being broken away.Fig. 3 shows the plow adjusted as a shovel-plow. Figs.' 4 and 5 aredetails of various shares which can be secured to the plow-beam forconverting the plow into a cultivator, 85e.

This invention relates to improvements in convertibleplows; and itsespecial object is to provide a plow with adjustable and exchangeablehandles and braces,and so constructed as to be adapted for use inconnection with turnseverally adjusted upon the foot of the plowbeam.

The invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction andarrangement of parts, hereinafter described, illustrated in thedrawings, and particularly specified in the claim hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by letters, A designates the beamof the plow, which is made of metal, preferably cast-iron, and which iscurved downward and forward at its rear end,forminga foot portion,a,asshown. This foot a is iiattened on its upper front surface, and isprovided with two bolt-openings, B b, as shown, the lowest, B, of whichis very near the end of foot a, and the upper opening, b, is formedaproper distance above opening B,as shown. These openings B b arehereinafter referred to. A short distance above opening b is formed atransverse bolt-opening, through which passes a bolt, D,whieh securesthe plow-handles to beam A, as shown.

F F designate connecting brace rods or bars, the front ends of which aresecured, by a bolt, G, and nut g', to the beam A by means of a suitableopening, H, formed in said beam at the beginning of its curvature, asshown. The front ends of bars F F are provided with a.

' l series of openings,ff,foradjustingthe handles.

'The said bars extend rearward to and are engaged, respectively, withthe opposite handies E E of the plow at points in the plane of thestraightv portion of beam A.

In order to strengthen handles E E and brace the same I employ the outermetal straps or plates, K K, which are placed on the outer sides of thehandles E E, and extend from the bolt D to the rod I,so that in additionto bra-c'- ing the same they serve as washers for the bolt D and nut daud for the bars F F on rod I.

L designates a metal casting, which is adapted to fit under theturn-plow P, asshown in the drawings, and to which the parts of theturnplow are secured, as shown.

The casting L is provided in its rear face with a groove or channel,Z,which is provided with suitable openings at distances apartcorresponding to the openings B b of the foot of the plow-beam. Thisfoot a is adapted to tit in channel Z, and the turn-plow is securedthereto by means of bolts'M and nuts m, the bolts passing throughsuitable openings in the face of the turn-plow and in the casting andfoot a, and are provided with nuts m on their inner ends, by which theturn-plow is rigidly but removably secured to the foot a of beam A, asshown.

The castingy L is provided with a side depending ange,N,to which isbolted the moldboard of the plow, the rear end of the moldboard beingconnected by a link-bar, n, with the casting at a point just below andto one side of opening b of foot a, as shown. of the casting is extendedand iattened to support the cutter p of the plow, as seen in Fig. l,imparting great strength to the cutter and enabling me to widen thesamein casting it,so that the turn-plow will cut a broad furrow. Byconnecting the brace bars F F to the ends of the brace-rod I asubstantial brace-frame is formed, which acts in connection with theplow-beam to form a plow-frame of great strength and durability. v

It will be observed that by reason of the series of holes f f in thebars FF the height of the handles or their pitch in relation to the plowcan be readily varied by adjusting boltA G in different openings vof thebars F F.

It will be observed from the foregoing description and drawings that theturn-plow I The front Ico is attached to the beaml A by two bolts only,and that by removing these bolts, which can bereadily done,theturnplowcan be removed, and the shove1-plow Q, or the various shovels and bladesshown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, can be secured to the foot a'instead bymeans of the saine bolts M and nuts m, said shovels and blades beingprovided with suitable openings corresponding to the openings B b infoot caso that when bolted thereon they will bein proper workingposition relatively to the beam ofthe I plow.

When the shovels or cultivators are used o the beam A,it is preferableto shift the handles E E and bars F F to the positions shown in Fig.3t=hat is, they are reversed-the handles E E being secured to beam A atopening H by bolt and nut Gg, so that the handles liein the same planeas the horizontal portion of beam A,while the bars F F are secured tothefoot a by bolt D through opening C, as shown. The points of attachmentof bars F F to Vhandles E E, however, are unchanged.

It will be observed from the foregoing that I have a very strongadjustable and convertible plow, which has been found by practical teststo work perfectly in any of its converted forms, either as turn-plow,shovel-plow, cultivator, &c.

It will be observed that the casting Lbraces the turn-plow Pstrongly,and especially at the points which have been considered Weakestin such plows, reducing the liability of breakage of plow to a minimumshould the same become wedged when in use between unyielding objects, asis obvious.

Having described my invention, I claimrIhe combination,with theplow-beam A and handles E E, of the brace-rod I, brace-bars F F, securedat their forward end to the beam, and adapted to be securedinterchangeably to either of the openings C or H in the beam,and thestraps K, secured to the handles, all substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony thatI claim the foregoing as my own I'aiiix my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

VIVI. A. FRETWELL.

Xilitnesses: I 1 i H. B. BURNETT, S. H. BOYD.

